July 3, 2016

Do you ever have those moments when you put down your glasses or your wallet, perhaps that grocery list you were working on and suddenly you cannot for the life of you recall what happened to it? The next thing you know three years have passed and you trip over it making the bed or sorting through bills? Alright wallet, cellphone, glasses, all of those are a little too immediate, too necessary to lose for such a long stretch of time but there was a time when this blog was as important to me as the coffee I knock back first thing in the morning.

Well, here I am once more. Speaking of that morning cuppa joe , check out my pal Takashi over on his Instagram account Cawfibiblica for a unique view of the elixir.

cup courtesy of ACE image filter via DREAMSCOPE

Opening the fridge I found the simple syrup made earlier in the week (mint fresh from the Union Square farmer’s market and some cardamom sugar I had in the cupboard) and a jug of leftover coffee. In some circles, old coffee is blasphemy however as part of the #jbfnofoodwaste initiative I’ve been saving what’s left from my French Press Pot. The autopilot-survival-mode-morning-me grinds the beans and heats the water for a full press because there is too much measuring to be done at that point in my day. My brews are always a blend of different purveyors beans (McNulty’s and Brooklyn being two of my faves) and when I’m vibrating at the right frequency I save the leftovers and pop them in the refrigerator . Often I’ll drink it in a quart container on the train (with cubes made from frozen coffee naturally!) but I woke this morning and wanted something special to start the day. I grabbed the cold coffee, the syrup and tossed them into a cocktail shaker with orange bitters and voila- deliciousness was born.

Try it yourself with a jigger of aged rhum or craft whiskey and let’s toast to the return of The Hungry Tiger!

February 1, 2013

This morning I was faced with a bit of a dilemma with grind coffee beans to brew a pot of espresso. For the past few days I’ve been cooking and been quite pleased with the results. From the multi-grain oatmeal with poached pears and greek yogurt to the chu-che curried lentils and the gyoza and mushroom & barley soup my kitchen has seen more action than a Golden Girls’s bedroom.

So what’s the problem, you might query? Well, I am out of quart containers and freezer space for one thing but the other is I took little-to-no photo’s documenting this outpouring of culinary productivity. While the media has been covering the foodie-photo-op and it’s pervasive/permissiveness (and please, tweet me you feelings on food pics at @TheHungryTiger #foodphoto) I realize some folks are bored by reading pure text online.

If you are reading this you know that my tweeting and tumblring happens far more often than updating this blog. But is it better for me to post what I have been cooking and creating without images or not to post at all? I’m sure the answer is the more I post the easier it will be to remember to add content moving forward and perhaps I can slip in some pics retro actively when I make the dishes again further down the line.

So then here is my Hearty Morning Oatmeal recipe. I catered a dinner a few weeks back where the final course was Cabernet-Poached Pears with Cardamom-Ginger Gelato and I still had a few left over. What better way to elevate breakfast while clearing out s little extra space in the fridge!

HEARTY MORNING OATMEAL

3/4 cup steel cut oats

1/3 cup quinoa

1/3 cup raw sliced almonds

2 Tbl amaranth

2 Tbl flax seeds

3 Tbl raw coconut oil

1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped candied ginger

3 cups water

1 cup 100% cranberry juice

Yields 4 cups

In a 4qt saucepan heat the oil and flax, amaranth and toast briefly. Add the oats and stir slowly getting a nice coating of oil and heat on everything. This gives a richer depth of flavor and nuttiness to the oatmeal; the grains should start popping slightly. Add turmeric and water followed by juice and vanilla. Bring it all to a boil and simmer stirring occasionally 20 minutes. Add ginger and cook 10 minutes more. Garnish with Greek yogurt and serve!

I will often make this at the top of a busy week and batch it out to have ready to go before running out the door to work, plenty of healthy heart energy to last all morning.

You can tweak this recipe all you want- swap out the turmeric for a combo of cinnamon and nutmeg for a more “traditional” oatmeal or cardamom and dried peaches instead of the candied ginger.

June 7, 2012

Food is not just my profession; food is my passion. If I am not managing my floor staff or cooking for my private clients or catering an event or conducting my food tours or reading cookbooks or tweeting cocktails or referring friends that call me up and say, “We have 2 people and a baby and are in the West Village and want somewhere to bring the dog and eat Italian comfort food- where do we go?” to head to Barbuto, then I’m likely trying to figure out a way to get on TV and share this passion of mind and desire to teach people not to be afraid of food. Food isn’t porn- you can eat it and touch and and get your fingers dirty creating it- go out there and read about wine or taste a fresh pear or cook a chicken with you kids and eat the gizzard together but embrace it as the sustenance that it is and not as some liposuctioned, photo-shopped, hairless, glossy ideal but something incredible that no mater how amazing or horrible it is, we are still going to shit it out the next day and get on with the important things in our lives.

May 26, 2012

Ah that early morning lift-off for Mexico was marvelous as were the days and dishes that followed (perhaps through a distortion of the time-space continuum I’ll decant and recant those day as promised) and well, I find myself sitting here nearly 8 months later eager to paint a picture of the most recent events.

Let me say that the holiday season was a gas! Such merriment both personally and professionally and a good time was had by all (I do so love sneaking a peek from high above Rockefeller Center to see the skaters pirouetting and zipping before the imperial tree brazenly flashing it’s new baubles to the rest of the out-of-towners like some gaudy necklace waiting to be snatched away on a darkened subway platform, all the while the denizens of the City clink glasses and chase canapé oblivious to the beauty outside those historic windows). Spring has been a treat this year. Firstly, there has actually been “Spring” in New York City and not the usually 3 days of temperate weather before being slammed headfirst into Summer’s withering glory. Please take note Mother Nature that I prefer precipitation at it’s proper pace; I welcome the rain but the Wonderland was lost without the dazzle of snowflakes.

Currently I’m up to my elbows in projects. I’ve a few parties of my own this summer and a few more for my clients; champagne toasts for Summer sunsets post-marriage vows and rooftop clambakes overlooking Central Park take lots of planning. Perhaps you’ve seen posters plastered about the subway system lurking like some second rate coquette looking to hitch a ride? Dear Reader let me assure you those are not The Original Hungry Tiger GRUB CRAWL and as soon as I catch my breath I’ll be announcing my latest tour shortly.

Finally I know my twitter account is linked below this post somewhere but for those of you interested in 1 stop shopping a few snapshots of some of my most memorable meals and moments of late.

October 15, 2011

As I write this (thanks to the wonders of modern technology,in a cab on my telephone) I am speeding towards the airport about to embark on an exciting gig. It’s been awhile since I’ve been cooking privately as Web Crawls and Diners and catering has filled my days of late but I’m so eager to rough-up my calluses again and to do so in a country that I’ve always dreamed of visiting yet have never before had an opportunity to set foot in- Mexico!
Keep you eyes peeled for a peek inside my trip, with pictures recipes and more!

September 24, 2011

Since M Wells Diner shut it’s doors during August’s final throes (has it only been a few weeks?!) I have been keeping myself busy with numerous side projects; expanding my wine knowledge, setting up a few private chef events (Mexico, here I come) doing a few guest spots as a Maitre d’. Exciting as these are I knew it was time to get the Grub Crawls up and running again. I mean, this is how it all began for me, walking the City streets, tasting everything she has to offer and sharing it with the world. I knew I would have to do something a little different, something with a bit more pizzaz as it has been so many months since I Crawled officially. Then a little bird whispered in my ear…or was it a radioactive spider?

How about if I combined two of my most passionate pursuits? For those that know me well I am a giant comic book geek. No, really I must have about 350,000 comics in the basement. And clearly I enjoy food in all it’s related facets; could I somehow find a way to link them together, the way the guys on the podcast A Taste Of Comics do? I CAN! I HAVE!

So, without further ado I am very excited to announce the first ever Hungry Tiger WEB CRAWL! Come fly through the streets of New York city as I explore the super snacks and favorite fare of Marvel Comics heroes, just in time for New York Comic Con ! That’s right, for the first time ever I’ll be joined by some very special guests as we take a very lucky group from the bowels of Yancy Street to the heights of the Avengers Tower, through Dr. Strange‘s neighborhood and into the unknown, feasting and drinking in a manner that would makeVolstagg peckish!

April 18, 2011

What a wonderful time was had by this year’s first group of Grub Crawlers!

The Spring has Sprung (2011 edition) was a success not in the least bit due to the wonders of Mother Nature and to the voracious appetites of those intrepid folk who followed me yesterday into the sunlit streets of NYC. As I was putting the final touches on yesterday’s event it dawned on me that it was the first time I’d embarked on a Sunday Crawl. Wow- so many people in the world that are off on a Sunday, lol!

Fortunately all the vendors welcomed us with open arms and while we were met with a few more lines than usual the rewards were there in the belly; roasted pork, stewed pork, glazed pork belly and lest we forget creamy tofu, rare cheeses, mouth- watering chocolates and rich single-origin coffee.